Driskel injury gives Brissett slight lead in Gators' starting QB race

7:53 p.m. EST, August 17, 2012|By Joe Morgan, For the Sentinel

GAINESVILLE — In a quarterback battle coaches have deemed too close to call, Jacoby Brissett may have earned a slight advantage over Jeff Driskel. However, the separation stems from quantity, not quality. Driskel missed valuable practice time because of a scapula contusion this week.

"When you get more reps, you know it's going to make you better naturally because you're seeing more things," Florida offensive coordinator Brent Pease said. "So, I don't know if [Brissett] gained any, but he got more reps [than Driskel] with it."

Driskel sustained his injury when the quarterbacks practiced without wearing no-contact red jerseys earlier this week. Pease said he believed the experiment was beneficial despite the injury.

"You got to get it to where there is a little bit more pressure around them, you know, so you can kind of see how they react to some things," Pease said. "And I think it's good that you do that, and down the road, we would always continue to do that."

Other than injury, not much separates Brissett and Driskel at this point. So far, Pease described separation in the competition as "up and down."

When the Gators do officially name the quarterback, coach Will Muschamp will not make the decision on his own. Pease said he would play an integral role in choosing which quarterback would line up under center for Florida's first offensive series against Bowling Green Sept. 1.

"He values my opinion," Pease said. "I give it to him. I think it's a 50-50 deal. It's probably a little bit more of a 51-49 his decision. He's the head coach."